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Director
Contemporary Art Museum
St. Louis, Missouri
ABOUT THE CONTEMPORAY ART MUSEUM (CAM):
CAM is dedicated to presenting the best contemporary visual art in an innovative environment and to developing successful community partnerships, educational programs, and outreach initiatives to make the arts available to new and diverse audiences throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area.
History
On September 19, 2003, CAM opened its new 27,200 square foot building in the Grand Center Arts and Entertainment District in midtown St. Louis to international acclaim. Formerly the Forum for Contemporary Art, CAM was founded on the Mississippi riverfront in 1980 by a group of community leaders to introduce visual arts programming and cultural activities into the downtown core. In its new facility and under the leadership of Director Paul Ha, CAM quickly established itself as one of the leading contemporary art institutions known for the quality of its exhibitions program. The only museum in St. Louis dedicated to the art of our time, CAM also draws wide local support from diverse segments of the community, from art collectors and philanthropists to young professionals and local artists.
Mission
The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (CAM) promotes meaningful engagement with the most relevant and innovative art being made today.
Exhibitions and Programs
CAM presents an annual series of exhibitions featuring visual art created by contemporary artists during the last 25 years. Major artists exhibited in recent years include Cindy Sherman, Jim Hodges, Andy Warhol, Maya Lin, John Armleder, Olivier Mosset, Bruce Nauman, Gedi Sibony, Chantal Akerman, Richard Artschwager, Richard Aldrich, Sean Landers and David Noonan. CAM is also committed to supporting talented artists working in the St. Louis region through juried exhibitions.
CAM presents a varied lineup of educational programming to accompany all exhibitions, including artist talks, lectures, performances, and workshops designed to improve visitor learning and enjoyment from contemporary art. Many programs are free to the public in order to enhance access to the arts.
CAM also demonstrates its commitment to St. Louis by providing high quality art education to urban youth through a range of programs. The New Art in the Neighborhood program for talented urban teen artists is in its 15 th year. One hundred percent of students graduating from the program in the last four years are attending college – a rate much higher than their peer group. CAM’s ArtReach program brings the arts to hundreds of students in area high schools through field trips and in-school visits.
Facility
The architect of CAM’s building was Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture in Portland, Oregon. The 25,200 square foot building with a 2,000 square foot courtyard opened in September 2003. Allied Works created a two-level building featuring a long, curved, site-cast concrete wall with a steel mesh overlay and high windows with views into the galleries and education studios on the ground floor. Gallery space was created with a specific special presence, and intentional vacancy that achieves meaning through the art itself. The building is defined by a simple order of upper and lower concrete walls with natural light introduced between the ceiling planes that float at various heights throughout the building. The walls interweave through the building and site to blur the boundaries between exterior and interior, providing a range of exhibition space that invites the public to engage in the presentation of new work. CAM is adjacent to Tadao Ando’s building for The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts. Allied Works collaborated with Ando and sculptor Richard Serra on the design of the common space between the buildings, which includes Joe, a torqued sculpture by Serra.
Statistics
CAM operates with an annual budget of approximately $2 million. It has a $5 million endowment and there is no debt on the building. CAM has a full and part time staff of 36 and a 44 member Board of Directors. Annual attendance is approximately 30,000.
OPPORTUNITIES:
The opportunity exists for the new Director to infuse CAM with vision, energy and excitement.
To build audiences, the new Director must continue to evolve the museum’s brand, positioning CAM as exciting, energetic, innovative and accessible with a clear and strong curatorial perspective.
The new Director will engage with the entire city to build awareness of and support for CAM and will develop collaborations and partnerships with other local, national and international cultural institutions.
Like many cultural organizations, CAM is challenged by current and projected economic issues. The new Director in partnership with the Board of Directors will undertake significant fund raising efforts and lead the effort to develop new sources of funding and revenue.
The current strategic plan goes through 2012. The new Director, working with the Board of Directors and the staff, will have the opportunity to develop the next iteration of the museum’s goals, strategies and actions.
POSITION AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Director of CAM provides conceptual leadership and vision through specialized knowledge of contemporary art; is responsible for policy making and fundraising (with the Board of Directors); planning, organizing, managing finances, staffing and directing activities through the staff; as well as for professional practices such as research, interpretation and presentation.
Core Functions:
- Develops strategies and initiatives to fulfill the organization’s mission, increase its audience and ensure its financial stability and growth.
- Provides access to the national and international contemporary art world.
- Sets goals, priorities and measurements for the organization and for functions within the organization including exhibitions, education and outreach, development, and administration; and oversees their implementation.
- Raises funds for the organization, cultivates long-term relationships with the Contemporary’s primary donors and simultaneously builds new ones.
- Is the organization’s chief spokesperson.
- Enhances the Contemporary’s image with its stakeholders.
- Ensures that Contemporary employees and volunteers understand their roles and the value of those roles, and ensures that their talents are developed to the highest degree possible.
- Ensures that all members of the staff, including him or her-self, receive performance appraisals at least annually.
- Works with and guides the Board of Directors regarding all aspects of the organization.
QUALIFICATIONS:
The Director of CAM will be highly regarded as a leader in the field of contemporary art with a demonstrated ability and passion for working with artists, staff, the public, funders and the Board of Directors. The ideal candidate will currently hold an administrative or curatorial position with comparable managerial responsibilities and be recognized as a dynamic and energetic leader. The new director will value integrity and excellence; will be an effective communicator; and will be a flexible and collegial collaborator.
Core competencies:
- Leadership in the visual contemporary art community: the ability to recognize and bring the work of superior artists to St. Louis.
- Leadership in the community: the ability to build enduring, positive relationships with other community leaders; the ability to develop art-related programs that benefit the community and draw increasing numbers of visitors, program participants and volunteers to the museum.
- Leadership in raising funds: the ability to articulate the mission of the museum with passion and conviction in order to develop long-term relationships with funders.
- Leadership in managing an organization: the ability to develop individuals as well as to create and manage teams, to make sure that daily operations run smoothly and to ensure sound financial management.
Experience and Education:
- Master of Arts degree in Fine Art, Art History or a related area, or equivalent experience in a relevant field.
- At least five years of experience in museum management or a directly applicable field, including supervisory, curatorial and fiscal management responsibilities.
- Demonstrated success in fundraising, audience development and institutional planning.
- Demonstrated commitment to excellence in all aspects of museum management.
- Proven ability to provide strong leadership, vision and strategic direction.
- Ability to inspire and motivate staff,
volunteers and donors.
- Proven ability to play a leadership role in cross-cultural groups.
COMPENSATION:
The salary is highly competitive and will be based on the experience and needs of the final candidate.
START DATE:
Spring/Early Summer 2012
LOCATION:
St. Louis , the largest metropolitan area in Missouri with a population of approximately 3 million, is a major Midwestern metropolis filled with world class cultural institutions. It is a city of neighborhoods with extensive parks and green space. It is known as the Gateway City and the Gateway Arch, the world's tallest man-made monument, forms a triumphant city skyline.
For information about St. Louis, please use the following links:
City of St. Louis
Explore St. Louis
Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis
PROCEDURE FOR APPLICATION:
Applicants should submit a resume, a one-page narrative describing interest and experience, and the names of three references. Applications will be reviewed by Management Consultants for the Arts, an executive search firm working with the museum’s Board of Directors.
Send applications via email to Management Consultants for the Arts, Linda Sweet, Partner, Box CAM, care of MCAWall2@gmail.com
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